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Cape Fear (1962 film)
Cape Fear is a 1962 American psychological thriller film directed by J. Lee Thompson and written by James R. Webb. It is based on John D. MacDonald's novel "The Executioners." It was released on April 12, 1962 by Universal Pictures and remade in 1991. Plot A man named Max Cady is released from prison after serving an eight-year sentence for rape and he promptly tracks down Sam Bowden, a lawyer that he holds personally responsible for his conviction because Sam interrupted his attack & testified against him. Cady begins stalking and subtly threatening Sam's family. He also kills the Bowden's family dog, but Sam can't prove that Cady did it. A friend of Bowden's, police chief Mark Dutton (Martin Balsam), tries to intervene on Sam's behalf, but he's unable to prove that Cady is guilty of any crime, so Sam hires a private detective named Charlie Sievers. Cady brutally assaults a promiscuous young woman named Diane Taylor when she brings him home, but Sievers and Sam are unable to persuade her to testify. Sam hires three thugs to assault Cady and persuade him to leave town, but the plan backfires when Cady gets the better of all three. Cady's lawyer vows to have Bowden disbarred. Fearing for the safety of his wife, Peggy and 14-year-old daughter, Nancy, Sam takes them to their houseboat in Cape Fear. In an attempt to trick Cady, Bowden makes it seem as though he has gone to a completely different location. He fully expects Cady to follow his wife & daughter, and plans on killing Cady to end the battle. Sam and a local deputy hide nearby, but Cady realizes the deputy is there and kills him. Eluding Bowden, Cady first attacks Peggy on the boat, causing Sam to go to her rescue. Meanwhile, Cady swims back to shore to attack Nancy. Sam realizes what has happened, and he also swims ashore. Sam and Cady engage in a final violent fight on the riverbank. Sam overpowers Cady, but he decides not to kill him, preferring to let him spend the rest of his life in jail. The film concludes with the Bowden family sitting together on a boat the next morning. Cast *Gregory Peck as Sam Bowden *Robert Mitchum as Max Cady *Polly Bergen as Peggy Bowden *Lori Martin as Nancy Bowden *Martin Balsam as Mark Dutton *Jack Kruschen as Dave Grafton *Telly Savalas as Charlie Sievers *Barrie Chase as Diane Taylor *Paul Comi as George Garner *Edward Platt as Judge *Will Wright as Dr. Pearsall Production Casting Rod Steiger wanted to portray the role of Max Cady, but he backed off when he heard Mitchum was considering the role. Telly Savalas was screentested for the role of Max Cady, but he later played private eye Charlie Sievers. Charles Bronson, James Coburn, Charlton Heston, Jack Palance, and John Wayne, were all considered for the role of the attorney, Sam Bowden. Peck was a last-minute replacement for Heston, who was originally cast in the film. Jim Backus was set to play attorney Dave Grafton. Filming J. Lee Thompson had always envisioned the film in black and white prior to production. As an Alfred Hitchcock fan, he wanted to have Alfred Hitchcock-like elements in the film, such as unusual lighting angles, an eerie musical score, closeups, and subtle hints rather than graphic depictions of the violence Cady has in mind for the family. The outdoor scenes were filmed on location in Savannah, Georgia, Stockton, California, and the Universal Studios backlot at Universal City, California. The indoor scenes were done at Universal Studios Soundstage. Mitchum had a real-life aversion to Savannah, where as a teenager he had been charged with vagrancy and put on a chain gang. This resulted in a number of the outdoor scenes' being shot at Ladd's Marina in Stockton, including the culminating conflict on the houseboat at the end of the movie. This scene where Robert Mitchum attacks Polly Bergen's character on the houseboat was almost completely improvised. Before the scene was filmed, Thompson suddenly told a crew member: "Bring me a dish of eggs!" Mitchum's rubbing the eggs on Bergen was not scripted and Bergen's reactions were real. She also suffered back injuries from being knocked around so much & felt the impact of the "attack" for days. While filming the scene, Mitchum cut open his hand, leading Bergen to recall: "his hand was covered in blood, my back was covered in blood. We just kept going, caught up in the scene. They came over and physically stopped us." In the source novel "The Executioners" by John D. MacDonald, Cady was a soldier court-martialed and convicted on then Lieutenant Bowden's testimony for the brutal rape of a 14-year-old girl. The censors stepped in, banned the use of the word "rape" and stated that depicting Cady as a soldier reflected adversely on U.S. military personnel. Critical Reception "Cape Fear" received positive, but cautious feedback from critics due its content. It has received an approval rating of 100% on Rotten Tomatoes based on 19 reviews with an average rating of 7.8/10. Bosley Crowther of the New York Times praised the "tough, tight script" as well as the film's "steady and starkly sinister style." He went on to conclude his review by saying, "this is really one of those shockers that provokes disgust and regret." The entertainment-trade magazine Variety reviewed the film as "competent and visually polished", while commenting on Mitchum's performance as a "menacing omnipresence." TV Guide Magazine called it "suspenseful and very frightening, thanks to Robert Mitchum's lethally threatening performance and the frightened reactions of a pro cast." Category:Films Category:American films Category:1960s films Category:Thriller films Category:Universal Pictures films